The 10 Greatest Diamonds On Earth

Golden Jubilee

The biggest faceted diamond in existence, the Golden Jubilee weighs 545.67 carats. The 755 carat rough stone it came from was found at the Premier Mine in South Africa in 1985. TheGolden Jubilee is named for having been given to the King ofThailand in 1997 at his Golden Jubilee celebrating 50 years since he was crowned. Before the presentation and renaming, the diamond was called the Unnamed Brown. Estimates place the value of the diamond at around $4 to $12 million.

Red Cross

A stunning yellow cushion-cut diamond weighing 205.07 carats, the rough diamond the Red Cross came from was found in South Africa in 1901. Featuring a namesake Maltese Cross visible in its top facet, this diamond was first sold at a 1918 Christies art sale in London.

Spirit of de Grisogono

This huge black diamond weighs 312.24 carats and is set with 702 white diamonds. At 587 carats in its rough form, it was found at a mine in west Central Africa in the late 20th century. It now resides in Switzerland.

De Beers

Weighing in at 234.65 carats, the De Beers diamond came from a 428.50 carat rough diamond found at Kimberly mines, South Africa, in 1888. The diamond was originally bought by the Maharaja of Patiala in Paris, but it’s officially missing at present.

Jubilee

Colorless and weighing 245.35 carats, the cushion-shaped Jubilee diamond was cut from a rough stone weighing 650.80 carats and found at the Jagersfontein mine in 1895. Originally planned to be a gift to Queen Victoria, this diamond’s owners ended up simply keeping it.

Centenary

Discovered in 1986 at Premier mine, the 273.85 carat Centenary’s rough form weighed 599 carats. The cutting gave this diamond an incredible 247 facets, the most ever created up to that point. Insured for $100 million, its exact value is presently unknown.

Cullinan II

This 317.40 carat diamond is the cushion-shaped centerpiece of Great Britain’s Imperial State Crown. It was cut from the biggest diamond ever found, which weighed 1 1/3 pounds, or 3106 carats. Found at Sir Thomas Cullinan’s mine, the Cullinan was named in honor of him since he was visiting the day it was found.

Incomparable

Aptly named, the Incomparable weighed 890 carats in its rough form and was found in Mbuju Mayi, Zaire in the 1980s. Gem cutters studied the rough diamond for four years before cutting it, yielding a 407.48 carat finished gem. The Incomparable features a perfectly clear brown-yellow color.

Cullinan I

The pear-shaped Cullinan contains 76 facets, weighs 530.20 carats and is the biggest of nine large stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond. One of Britain’s Crown Jewels, it’s currently displayed to the public at The Tower of London, but it was originally part of King Edward’s Royal Sceptre. Experts estimate the value of the Cullinan I at over $400 million.

Millennium Star

Weighing 203.04 carats, The Millennium Star is the largest of three cuts carefully planned and taken from a rough stone weighing 777 carats. Found in the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire in 1990, the Millennium Star is said to be worth much more than the 100 million British pounds it’s insured for.

Michele Golden can be an outspoken and also energectic doodlekit, who enjoys music of all kinds from the great state of Vermont. Shes loves hunting for champagne diamonds for her hand made jewelry designs.